Fresh threat to Yamuna as plaster of paris idol trade booms

With Anant Chaturdashi - the day when figures of the elephant headed God are immersed in water, small markets of PoP idols have sprung up across the city.

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Baishali Adak

New Delhi

September 2, 2018

UPDATED: September 3, 2018 05:10 IST

An artisan prepares a PoP mixture to give final touches to idols at Rampura in Punjabi Bagh on Saturday. Photo: Baishali Adak

HIGHLIGHTS

At least 5,000 PoP idols of Ganesha to be submerged in Yamuna

On Anant Chaturdashi, idols of Ganesha are immersed in water after 11 days of celebration

Small markets of PoP idols have sprung up across the city

The Delhi government's environment department, it seems, will be caught napping again when at least 5,000 PoP (Plaster of Paris) idols of Ganesha will be submerged in Yamuna this year. With Anant Chaturdashi - the day when figures of the elephant headed God are immersed in water after 11 days of celebration -slated for September 23, small markets of PoP idols have sprung up across the city.

The artisans, most of whom are from Alwar and Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, say they have been practicing the trade for decades now and no government official has either raided their premises or provided any advisory on alternate livelihood means.

"We heard that boards are sometimes put up at Yamuna ghats like ITO, Kudsia and Geeta Colony on only clay-based idols to be submerged. But we trust that all our PoP idols will be sold. After that, it is the customer's headache where to dunk it," said Guddu, an artisan.

"You are just trying to spoil our business by saying that PoP does not melt. Even 40 feet PoP idols dissolve in the Arabian Sea in Mumbai," claimed Ram Kumar, an artisan at Sarojini Nagar.

After the environmental hazards of PoP idols were noticed not just in Delhi, but Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Bengaluru and Kolkata as well, the Central Pollution Control Board issued strict guidelines against them in June 2010.

The principal bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), headed by then Chairperson, Justice Swatanter Kumar, had also ordered against "non-biodegradable plastic or gypsum plaster idols being immersed, and only herbal dyes to be used to illustrate them," in September 2015.

"POP takes months to dissolve and turns the water chalky. Plus, heavy metals like lead and mercury go up manifold when toxic paints used on the idols are dunked in rivers and ponds. This is poisonous for fishes and other aqua fauna. A study on the upper Bhopal Lake in 2007 proved it," said Ravi Agarwal, Director at NGO, Toxics Link.

"This is simply bureaucratic lethargy not to stop the manufacture or sale of POP idols year after year inspite of court strictures. We can only hope that the new monitoring committee set up by NGT, headed by former Chief Secretary of Delhi Shailaja Chandra for Yamuna conservation, stops it," said convener of NGO Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan, Manoj Misra.

Mail Today tried to reach out to Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain, Secretary AK Singh and Member Secretary of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), SM Ali, through several calls and messages for comments, but to no result.

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